Bellydance Fitness for Beginners is a cardio workout video that incorporates belly dance moves. It is belly dance for exercise and weight loss. The DVD features Veena and Neena Bidasha, often known as “the bellydance twins,” who have been practicing bellydancing since childhood.
Not only have Veena and Neena traveled all over the Middle East and India to perform, they have appeared in film, television, videos, music and theater. They have danced even during the Academy Awards. They are known for their exceptional talent and amazing bellydance style which captivates the audience and inspires it to learn this ancient practice.
Veena and Neena Slim Down DVD – Part 1
Belly dance DVDs by Veena and Neena
Veena and Neena have several videos out:
- Discover Bellydance: Basic Dance
- Discover Bellydance: Beyond Basic Dance
- Discover Bellydance: Mystic Dance
- Bellydance for Beginners: Basic Moves
- Belly Baby: A Prenatal Bellydance Workout
- Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Arms, Abs, Hips, Buns & Thighs
- Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Basic Moves & Fat Burning
- Belly Twins: Bellydance Core Conditioning
I am currently working on collecting them all!
How Does Bellydance Fitness for Beginners (Slim Down) Work?
Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Slim Down is a non-intimidating approach to fitness that is designed to workout effectively your whole body. Using the ancient technique of bellydancing it slims and tones your body. Bellydancing burns calories, builds cardiovascular endurance and tones your core muscles: your hips, butt, thighs, and abdominals.
Veena and Neena Slim Down DVD – Part 2
This is not a DVD to teach you belly dance, however. It is rather an aerobic 30 min-workout that is infused with belly dance moves and is accompanied by instrumental Middle Eastern music . It consists of
- 5 min warm up
- 20 minof cardio
- 3 min cool down
- 2 min stretch
The workout can be performed in a small room. The fitness level is good for beginners or intermediate exercisers.
Veena and Neena Slim Down DVD – Part 3
If you’re thinking “No way!” to belly dancing, don’t. I made the same mistake. I pictured something similar to pole dancing and thought I had to be half-naked. This is not the case.
The roots of belly dancing are uncertain, but it has been around for a very, very long time. Belly dancing is believed to hail from the Middle East and North Africa. According to a theory, belly dancing was originally something women did with and for other women. It was not a “sexy” dance meant to entice the opposite sex, but a way that women of all ages bonded with each other, got their exercise, and prepared their bodies for menstruation, birthing and mothering.
So, stay clothed, get another woman or two to join you – my daughter loves to join me – and pop in this video to give it a try. The workout lasts about a half hour, including warm up, 20 minutes of cardio, cool down, and stretch.
What Others Are Saying – Does Bellydance Fitness for Beginners Work?
In a word, yes. Belly dancing is a great cardio workout! And you can go at your own speed. You can start slowly and build up your endurance as you buildup your skill level.
Frances Hawkins from Florida says:
“I like this video a lot! It gives you a workout while making you feel sexy at the same time.”
The steps these women present are relatively simple, so you won’t get frustrated, but they do require some movements that most of us (Western) women are not used to doing, so go ahead and have a laugh at yourself if you need to.
How Much Weight Will I Lose?
Believe it or not, belly dancing is an effective way to shed pounds fast. S. Fisher, an Amazon reviewer from Maryland wrote that she lost 10 pounds in 6-8 weeks, without even changing her diet, just by doing this routine 3-5 times a week.
Another user was 60 pounds overweight in December 2002. By following Neena’s and Veena’s “slim down” tape twice a week she lost 15 lbs by April. Four months later she had lost 25 additional pounds! “I am thin and belly beautiful” she says. Read her inspiring review here.
Jennifer from New York was looking for an Eastern type of dance to help her burn fat without engaging in heavy exercise. She did the “Slim Down” by Veena and Neena everyday for two weeks. Jennifer says in her review:
“I have lost at least 2 inches on my waist, and, complimented with a sensible diet, I’ve lost somewhere between 5 and 7 pounds.”
Another reviewer wrote that this video, along with a low carb diet, helped her lose a total of 50 lbs.
Serena from Carlisle (PA) is another inspiring success story. She was 220 pounds when she started the “Slim Down”. She used it 4 times a week and experienced incredible results. She says:
“Within about 3 months I had lost 35 lbs and hadn’t made any major changes to my diet.”
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Video is very different from most exercise videos. It is a non-daunting, fan means to exercise and lose stubborn fat.
- Video has great, inspiring music.
- You don’t need any equipment.
- Workout will make you use muscles you forgot you have!
- Workout is low impact. If you have bad knees, you can still do it.
- Veena and Neena’s enthusiasm is fun and encouraging.
- Video is short and easy to fit into your day.
- Dancing is so fun that you might forget you’re exercising.
- Dancing improves self-image.
- Dancing improves mood.
Cons
- Sometimes the video is difficult to follow. The camera focuses on the hips for a prolonged period of time making it difficult to follow the foot movements.
- Workout will leave you with sore muscles the next day. It challenges your arms and calves. But if you watch the chapter called “Flexibility” (contained in the DVD) which teaches you a stretching technique before you start the workout, you will not feel that sore after the workout.
- Most men would not enjoy this video – it is definitely geared toward women.
- The well-endowed women will need a heavy duty bra as the workout involves intense bouncing.
- It is not challenging if you are in great shape.
Problems and Complaints
Some bellydance purists find this video to not be “real belly dance.” They feel it is a cardio workout, not a dance technique class.
In Closing
Get yourself a coin scarf (you can find these on eBay) and then you will make a lovely clinking sound when you shimmy. This is fun.
Something about bellydancing, something about dancing like you’re a woman, makes you feel better about yourself and your body. It just seems to come naturally. If you follow the “Slim Down” consistently you will definitely lose weight and firm up.